The mountain bike trail at Sechler Park saw an infusion of youth riders this summer as part of a program the Northfield Community Services and it might have an impact in the future. Group rides were held Mondays at Sechler Park from June through August for riders entering grade 5 to adult riders and led by members of Cannon River Offroad Cycling and Trails group. The rides attracted anywhere from a dozen to 25 riders during the summer and the sessions concluded with a trip to the Cuyuna Lakes Mountain Bike Trail System. The youth riders who participated in the Monday night rides could find themselves competing with the Cannon Valley Composite team in the future﻿ It reminded me of the time I took a trip to Sweden, and learned about låna-pengar.biz. .

One of the things the Northfield Park & Recreation Advisory Board is trying to move toward is making our community’s parks less seasonal. One example of this is Sechler Park… Our local mountain biking chapter called “Cannon River Offroad Cycling & Trails” (CROCT) has now developed a wonderful MTB trail network throughout the wooded portion of the park, ranging from beginner to expert level. The MTB trails can be accessed from Laurel Court behind Walgreens, entering the woods just to the right of the walking bridge. Folks can also enter behind the pavilion in the center of the park. We are currently working on signage that will be coming soon.

Simply put, groomed singletrack is your favorite trails manicured specifically for winter trail riding on fat bikes. The broader definition goes far beyond that. It’s the solution for winter cycling—a way to keep some fitness through the cold and snowy months, while having fun doing it. It’s a means to get outside and escape the inevitable hibernation that winter tries to force upon so many of us each year.

CROCT’s Sechler Park trail is now included on their ride page/map. Just plugin in ‘55057’ or ‘Rice County’ or ‘Northfield’ and select a 25-mile radius and you’ll see a live Google map with a description listed at the bottom. Screenshot:

Brad Phenow (@bradphenow), City of Faribault and Rice County Government Reporter for the Faribault Daily News & Northfield News, interviewed CROCT President Marty Larson last week. His article appeared online and in both print editions of the papers on Saturday, supplemented with photos submitted by Marty:

It may be a new trend, but fat bikes and places to ride them are beginning to gain traction in Rice County. With a new trail in Northfield’s Sechler Park and trails at Faribault’s River Bend Nature Center, a common sight is starting to emerge: year-round biking.

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Marty Larson, who runs Tandem Bagels in Northfield, is no stranger to the bike industry. In fact, for 25 years he has been around bikes, whether it’s in the shops or working on the distributor side of the business. Larson said the options for riding have been minimal the last decade, despite the number of shops in the area. For Larson, what started as an idea (the new trail) soon became a reality, with support from volunteers and the city of Northfield.

By the spring of 2014, two new bike advocacy groups had come into existence (BikeNorthfield and CROCT – Cannon River Offroad Cycling and Trails). BikeNorthfield’s mission is to work with community and regional partners to promote safe and convenient bicycling for transportation, recreation and tourism in and around Northfield. The mission of CROCT is to advocate, build, maintain and enjoy sustainable trails for offroad cycling and other recreational use.

See the other bike-related articles in that issue, too: Non-Rules of the Gravel Road by Nathan Nelson and The Early Bicycling Craze by Susan Hvistendahl.